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Are rural children of work-away parents really left behind? Voices from rural teachers

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  • Fu, Linyun
  • Zhu, Yiqi

Abstract

This study adopted the Positive Youth Development Approach and used semi-structured interviews with fifty rural teachers to discover environmental factors that foster the success of children of work-away parents (often called left-behind children in many studies) and to understand current challenges from rural teachers’ perspectives. The results of this study indicated children of work-away parents can be successful in school settings when parents or teachers have a strong belief in the success of children and effective methods in place to ensure the quality of learning. In addition, teachers can better support their students if they can be relieved from excessive administrative burdens and gain practical methods to work with students with special needs. Furthermore, we found that the real risk factors for children in rural China are oversimplified under the stereotypes of “left-behind children.” This study calls for a comprehensive risk assessment for all rural children, considering the complexity of the status and potential stigmatization towards them and specific training and support for work-away parents, direct caregivers, and teachers to form an alliance to reduce the risk factors and enhance the well-being of rural children.

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  • Fu, Linyun & Zhu, Yiqi, 2020. "Are rural children of work-away parents really left behind? Voices from rural teachers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:117:y:2020:i:c:s0190740920304977
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105269
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Zhao, Xinyi & Fu, Fang & Zhou, Luqing, 2020. "The mediating mechanism between psychological resilience and mental health among left-behind children in China," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    2. Wu, Qiaobing & Lu, Deping & Kang, Mi, 2015. "Social capital and the mental health of children in rural China with different experiences of parental migration," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 270-277.
    3. Li, Chunkai & Zhang, Qiunv & Li, Na, 2018. "Does social capital benefit resilience for left-behind children? An evidence from Mainland China," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 255-262.
    4. Yu Bai & Linxiu Zhang & Chengfang Liu & Yaojiang Shi & Di Mo & Scott Rozelle, 2018. "Effect of Parental Migration on the Academic Performance of Left Behind Children in North Western China," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(7), pages 1154-1170, July.
    5. Shu Hu, 2019. "“It’s for Our Education”: Perception of Parental Migration and Resilience Among Left-behind Children in Rural China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 145(2), pages 641-661, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Chunhai Gao & Endale Tadesse & Sabika Khalid, 2022. "Word of Mouth from Left-Behind Children in Rural China: Exploring Their Psychological, Academic and Physical Well-being During COVID-19," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(5), pages 1719-1740, October.
    2. Fu, Linyun & Zhang, Zhen & Yang, Yuanyuan & Curtis McMillen, J., 2024. "Acceptability and preliminary impact of a school-based SEL program for rural children in China: A quasi-experimental study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).

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